Mark Zuckerberg addressed major advertisers as an ad boycott against Facebook gains momentum

• Mark Zuckerberg this week addressed a group of top-ranking executives from agency holding companies and advertisers including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Dentsu Aegis Network, and Omnicom Media Group.
• The companies are part of the client council, a small-knit group of marketing heavyweights from brands and ad agencies who work closely with Facebook on product features and other feedback.
• He acknowledged the advertisers' concerns over its policies on political content moderation, explained the company's position, tried to assure them that the company was reviewing policies and decision-making processes, and took questions.
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Facebook chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally addressed a group of top executives from agency holding companies and advertisers on Tuesday as the platform faces mounting pressure and an intensifying advertiser boycott over its content moderation in the aftermath of George Floyd's death.

Companies in the  meeting included Anheuser-Busch InBev, Dentsu Aegis Network, Nestle, Omnicom Media Group, and Unilever, all members of  Facebook's client council group. Zuckerberg was joined by Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg and VP of global marketing solutions Carolyn Everson, three sources confirmed to Business Insider.

On the call, Zuckerberg acknowledged the advertisers' concerns over its policies on political content moderation, explained the company's position, tried to reassure them that the company was reviewing its policies and decision-making processes, and took questions from them, sources said.

Zuckerberg is known to address the group once a year, with this address coinciding with advertisers' rising concern over Facebook's content moderation policies.

A Facebook spokeswoman confirmed the meeting took place and said that it was scheduled on June 11, before the boycott gained steam. Anheuser-Busch InBev, Dentsu Aegis Network, Nestle, and Unilever did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment by the time of publication. 

Zuckerberg told attendees that Facebook doesn't set its policies to maximize business interests, but that its "north star" was commitment to the principles of freedom of expression and neutrality, according to a source familiar with the meeting. Another source said his explanation of Facebook's position "struck a tone."

The move comes as brands including The North Face, REI, Patagonia and Ben & Jerry's are pulling advertising from the platform in July to protest its approach to content moderation. Facebook has been under fire from activists and its own employees last month after it let stand inflammatory posts by President Trump on protests over police brutality. 

The brands and agencies at the meeting are part of Facebook's client council, a small-knit group that works with Facebook as it caters to the advertising industry. It's addressed issues in the past including brand safety, the US presidential election, and third-party data.

While Zuckerberg has addressed the group before, Tuesday's meeting focused on the boycott and underscored how much the backlash against Facebook is intensifying, according to a source. While Facebook has faced criticism about its handling of user data and the spread of misinformation on before, such criticism has rarely translated to wider collective action against Facebook. Some ad agencies are saying things are different this time around. 

"Zuckerberg rarely takes part in these calls," the source said. 

Zuckerberg echoed a memo Everson sent to ad agencies last week and pointed to recent efforts Facebook had made, including a voter registration effort, a move to let people see fewer political ads on Facebook and Instagram, and improved detection capabilities for hate speech. Facebook has also removed ads featuring a red triangular Nazi symbol used during World War II from President Trump's re-election campaign and acknowledged that its enforcement of content rules "isn't perfect."

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